Chaos and Order
by socroy
Summary: Inui and Kaidoh share an apartment. But what is that twiddly silver thing?


**Notes: **I suspect that this is one of those 'dream bunnies' that seem like a good idea at the time. Most likely OOC. Ah well, I did have fun writing these two for the first time. (A 'babushka' is a Russian doll, which when opened up, contains another Russian doll, which contains another… usually 7-10 all up.)

* * *

It was… odd.

Inui studied the latest one with a mixture of fascination and bland resignation. He really hadn't expected this of Kaidoh, but then, he supposed, he wouldn't have fallen for the boy if he hadn't been continually surprised by his behaviours. Kaidoh had the most peculiar set of hidden facets, even less predictable than the erratic genius of Fuji Shuusuke. Inui had enthusiastically embraced the challenge of peeling away the layers to Kaidoh, slowly, gently, one by one, carefully gaining access to increasingly intimate knowledge. It was a delicate procedure that Inui relished, loving it (and Kaidoh) more and more as each delicious layer was removed.

But this latest quirk was different, and while Inui didn't often feel strong, negative emotion, he knew that this was a habit of Kaidoh's that he couldn't wholeheartedly embrace.

Inui looked at it again, distaste spread across his features.

A babushka was sitting on top of his stainless steel kitchen top.

Inui and Kaidoh had moved in together partway through university. With a little help from Inui's high-flying father, they had managed to secure a fitted apartment, finished, clean and coloured in subdued deep tones. It was a minimalist apartment and Inui liked things that way- simple, clear, without clutter. Oh, he liked complexity too (which was why he had Kaidoh) but as Kaidoh had shown him, the two things did not often reconcile.

It had started when Inui had found the smooth polished surface of their coffee table graced with a photo frame. It was brand new, still housing the standard photographs of cheerful model families. At that stage, Inui made no motion to investigate, at least not until the next day when the frame had been befriended by a vase of bright carnations and its model occupants had been replaced by a photograph of… Echizen's cat.

It had taken a long time, but Inui finally managed to prize out of his blushing housemate that it made their space feel 'more like home'.

Interesting.

In fact, fascinating, as the next object to join the collection was a scroll of calligraphy, hung carefully by the stainless steel fridge. Inui liked the scroll, and treated it as a symbol of Kaidoh's traditionalist core. Plus, it complemented the deep hue of the wall and looked modern, not fussy.

Inui moved the carnations to their bedroom, and left the photo frame. It was only one, after all, and looked sort of classy.

At least, until it was joined by three more, a set of tealight candles, a shoe rack, a CD stand, a set of pastel Tupperware, a lucky neko, an evil spirit ward, an incense holder, placemats, a plastic bag dispenser, a bonsai and a twiddly silver thing Inui figured had something to do with walnuts.

And that was just on Saturday.

On one occasion he had been present when Kaidoh had returned home, armed with several sets of full plastic bags and a suspicious bulge in his shirt pocket. Kaidoh had looked distraught on being 'discovered', nervous eyes glancing everywhere but at Inui's face. He had tried to evade the situation, ducking around Inui's large frame but Inui had been too quick and plucked from his pocket… a fluffy velvet rabbit.

"It looked at me," Kaidoh had muttered.

It was getting out of control. Kaidoh's affinity for sentimental objects was disturbing Inui's calm- they now had five remote controls which should have rested on the coffee table, perhaps in a classy case, but as the coffee table was covered in placemats and shells, sports magazines and a vase, this was not entirely possible. A red faced Kaidoh had now padded silently into the kitchen, and carefully set his bags down beside… the babushka.

"Kaidoh…" Inui said, "What is all this in aid of?"

He found he was gesturing in a manner entirely unlike him, and he was frowning, mainly at the babushka which was offending his sense of style. Stainless steel and brightly painted wood didn't mix.

"We need it," Kaidoh had answered in a surly tone, and this time he was looking the taller man in the eye.

Inui held up the twiddly silver thing.

"It's for cracking walnuts," Kaidoh answered in response. So he had been right about that one.

Inui looked at the babushka as Kaidoh went to open the fridge. "And the other things?"

The door to the fridge swung open wide, revealing rows upon rows of frighteningly coloured liquids. It was quite a sight, actually- Kaidoh, now a young man, looking back at Inui from underneath his long fringe, with dark clear eyes; there was something of the animal about him which was juxtaposed ever so strongly against the clinical, sterile nature of Inui's own experiments.

The animal, Inui mused, was chaotic and impulsive. And complex.

He liked complexity, which was why he had Kaidoh.

Kaidoh reached for a water bottle in among Inui's concoctions, and took a long drink, dark eyes still fixed on his flatmate.

"They're just… things."

He eyed the contents of the fridge warily before shutting it again, and joined Inui at the stainless steel bench where the babushka defiantly remained.

"Should I… not… do you want me to get rid of it?" Kaidoh asked.

"No, it's fine," Inui replied. "They're just things."

And they both smiled.


End file.
